College basketball is in full swing and Sun Belt teams are geared for the second-half marathon. The conference appears to be loaded up top this year, making for an exciting two-plus month season.
The Sun Belt has seemingly solidified its spot in the very middle of the basketball world based on RPI, as the rise of some teams have coincided with the fall of others. Of 32 conferences, the Sun Belt is ranked 16th in average RPI.
Here’s a quick breakdown of every team followed by a list of players to watch in an arena near you. My end of season prediction is also included.
Appalachian State
Record: 5-8
KenPom: 207
NET: 230
The Mountaineers are off to a rough start and will need a hard turnaround to give fifth year head coach Jim Fox his first winning record in Boone.
App State has endured one of the Sun Belt’s toughest non-conference schedules, but limp into conference play just 2-8 vs D-I opponents.
Defense has been an issue for the Mountaineers, thus far, as the team has struggled to force turnovers. App State forced 13.5 turnovers per game, ninth in the Sun Belt. The team’s 5.7 steal percentage is 338th nationally.
Arkansas State
Record: 6-7
KenPom: 274
NET: 199
Mike Balado’s second season is off to a slightly better start than his first in Jonesboro. The Red Wolves have centered their offense on aggressively driving the lane. The style has worked, as long as they get to the free throw line.
Arkansas State is shooting an abysmal 41 percent from inside the arc (346th) but get 23.9 percent its points at the charity stripe (18th).
Crashing the offensive glass is a big factor and the Red Wolves have begun to specialize in it. Arkansas State is rebounding 33 percent of its own misses this season.
Coastal Carolina
Record: 6-6
KenPom: 188
NET: 221
Long time coach Cliff Ellis is about to navigate his third Sun Belt schedule and may have his highest-scoring team ever to do it with.
It feels like the Chanticleers have been on the verge of something big all season, going 0-4 against KenPom top-150 teams but losing those games by an average of just 6.3 points. The sharp-shooting Chants could be a quietly dangerous team if they figure out how to win early in conference play.
Coastal Carolina is shooting 38.5 percent as a team from long range (34th) but turnovers have stunted the offense. Over 10 percent of the Chants possessions are ending with a live-ball turnover.
Georgia Southern
Record: 8-5
KenPom: 133
NET: 139
A 5-0 start to the year gave way to tougher opponents and tougher losses. The Eagles garnered a big win over Montana but are 0-4 against KenPom top-100 teams.
Georgia Southern may be the most exciting team in the Sun Belt to watch. The Eagles fly at super speed, running number of possessions into the 80’s regularly. The average Georgia Southern possession lasts just 14.6 seconds, sixth fastest in the country.
The Eagles prefer to live around the rim on offense and do it well. They’re shooting at a 58.5 percent clip inside the arc (6th) and get 56.8 percent of their points from two-pointers.
Defense has also been a strong point for Mark Byington’s team. The Eagles are top-20 in steal percentage and top-70 in block percentage.
Georgia State
Record: 9-4
KenPom: 112
NET: 114
Ron Hunter’s Panthers have played a more than worthy schedule and have come out ahead. Georgia State has played six KenPom top-100 teams and are 3-3 in such games. The Panthers may be the most war-ready team in the Sun Belt this season.
Georgia State is efficient on offense and sound on defense with the free throw line and rebounding being the only true hindrances to this team. The Panthers are hitting 37.6 percent of their threes and are getting 36 percent of their points from outside.
Winning the turnover battle has been the key thus far, with an average plus-4.3 turnover margin. That’s best in the Sun Belt and 24th nationally.
Little Rock
Record: 5-8
KenPom: 230
NET: 276
It seems like ages ago when Little Rock ripped off 30 wins and upset Purdue in the NCAA Tournament. The Trojans are 27-50 since then, including a 5-8 start to Darrell Walker’s tenure.
The Trojans are 3-8 vs D-I teams, with the wins being against teams ranked 280, 298 and 304 in the KenPom rankings. Little Rock is actually shooting the ball well this year while moving at a quick pace.
The downfall has been turnovers and a gross showing at the free throw line. The Trojans are making just 62.2 percent of their free throws, good for 333rd in the country.
Louisiana-Lafayette
Record: 9-4
KenPom: 154
NET: 169
The Rajin’ Cajuns have won seven of their last eight games but, after playing a trio of quality opponents early on, have played one of the Sun Belt’s weaker schedules. ULL also lost Malik Marquettie and his 15 points per game at the end of December.
The Cajuns are an experienced bunch, though, and still have a solid start to move forward with. They protect the basketball and convert at the free throw line at a high rate at 75.3 percent.
The biggest downside to this team has been defensive rebounding. Opponents have been grabbing 35.9 percent of their own misses.
Louisiana-Monroe
Record: 7-5
KenPom: 170
NET: 160
Keith Richard has transformed Louisiana-Monroe from a bottom feeder to a routinely competitive team. This year’s group can be a danger to take down anybody on any night thanks to some serious snipers on the outside.
The Warhawks are the Sun Belt’s version of the Houston Rockets. They’re making 40.9 percent of their three point attempts (9th) with 37.9 percent of their points coming from deep. Another 22.1 percent of ULM’s points come at the free low line as the team is hitting 76.5 percent of its free throw attempts (25th).
The mid-range game has been virtually non-existent, as 39.4 percent of ULM’s points are two-pointers (351st).
South Alabama
Record: 7-6
KenPom: 231
NET: 301
Richie Riley’s tenure at South Alabama has gotten off to an odd start. The Jaguars are 7-6 but could very well be the worst 7-6 team in the country.
South has been effective with its outside shooting, but doesn’t have any other significant strength. The Jaguars are seeing more of their shots being sent back than literally any other team in the nation.
Shooting 61.9 percent at the stripe isn’t helping matters either. The Jaguars are also getting handled on the boards, allowing opponents to grab 34.4 percent of their missed shots.
Texas-Arlington
Record: 4-9
KenPom: 239
NET: 245
The “Gonzaga of the South” plan is off to a rough start. The Mavericks are incredibly young (12 scholarship newcomers) and have played a ridiculous schedule (28th) this year.
Chris Ogden’s team is struggling from the field, nearly last in three point percentage (25.8 percent) and 269th in two point percentage (46.7 percent). A whopping 23 percent of UTA possessions end in turnover, too.
The one bright spot for this group is their ability to defend the three ball. Opponents are making just 27.2 percent of their three points.
Texas State
Record: 11-2
KenPom: 123
NET: 93
Texas State has torn through the Sun Belt’s weakest schedule and is off to its best start in school history. The Bobcats have played just three KenPom top-200 teams so far. As of right now, Texas State will have to play nine such games going forward.
The Bobcats are shooting the ball well and doing a good job in shot contest, too. Texas State is cleaning up the defensive boards, giving up a low 23.4 offensive rebound percentage.
Turnovers have been the one glaring issue for Texas State, but have made up for it by forcing its fair share.
Troy
Record: 7-5
KenPom: 168
NET: 162
Troy has played a solid schedule up to this point and have recently put together a four game win streak. The Trojans have not put together any real identity on defense this year, putting up near-average numbers for just about everything.
Offensively, the Trojans have had an uncanny knack for almost never getting blocked. Only 5.3 percent of possessions end with a block, good for ninth nationally.
The team has also had some very good luck at the free throw line, which has turned into extra wins. Troy is making 75.1 percent of its free throws while its opponents are making just 64.9 percent.
Top Scorers
| 1 | Rayjon Tucker | Little Rock | 20.8 PPG |
| 2 | Ty Cockfield | Ark State | 20.7 PPG |
| 3 | Zac Cuthbertson | Coastal | 20.1 PPG |
| 4 | D’Marcus Simonds | Georgia St | 19.8 PPG |
| 5 | Nijal Pearson | Texas St | 19.8 PPG |
Top Shooters
| Threes | 3FG% | |||
| 1 | Nijal Pearson | Texas St | 43 | 49.4% |
| 2 | Rodrick Sikes | USA | 37 | 32.5% |
| 3 | Ronshad Shabazz | App St | 33 | 38.4% |
| 4 | Ty Cockfield | Ark State | 31 | 44.3% |
| 5 | Malik Benlevi | Georgia St | 30 | 40.5% |
Top Rebounders
| 1 | Isaac Johnson | App St | 9.4 RPG |
| 2 | Zac Cuthbertson | Coastal | 9.1 RPG |
| 3 | Josh Ajayi | USA | 8.1 RPG |
| 4 | Alex Hicks | Troy | 7.8 RPG |
| 5 | Jakeenan Gant | ULL | 7.6 RPG |
Top Facilitators
| 1 | Marcus Stroman | ULL | 6.7 APG |
| 2 | Jaylen Shead | Texas St | 5.2 APG |
| 3 | Tookie Brown | GASO | 5.0 APG |
| 4 | Jaizec Lottie | Little Rock | 4.7 APG |
| 5 | Markquis Nowell | Little Rock | 4.1 APG |
Top Defenders
| 1 | Quan Jackson | GASO | 2.6 SPG |
| 2 | Marcus Stroman | ULL | 2.5 SPG |
| 3 | Kane Williams | Georgia St | 2.1 SPG |
| 4 | Daishon Smith | ULM | 1.9 SPG |
| 5 | DJ Bryant | UTA | 1.8 SPG |
Top Rim Protectors
| 1 | Jakeenan Gant | ULL | 3.4 BPG |
| 2 | Trhae Mitchell | USA | 2.4 BPG |
| 3 | Malik Benlevi | Georgia St | 1.2 BPG |
| 4 | Kris Banksdton | Little Rock | 1.2 BPG |
| 5 | Amidou Bamba | Coastal | 1.2 BPG |
Prediction
| 1 | Georgia State |
| 2 | Georgia Southern |
| 3 | Louisiana-Lafayette |
| 4 | Troy |
| 5 | Texas State |
| 6 | Coastal Carolina |
| 7 | Louisiana-Monroe |
| 8 | Arkansas State |
| 9 | South Alabama |
| 10 | Appalachian State |
| 11 | Little Rock |
| 12 | Texas-Arlington |
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